SSL MacGuffin - S7

[TubaDeus]

For those who missed the premise of this series, you can find the full background here.

The short version is that the winner of the first ever SSL game is awarded the initial MacGuffin trophy, which is then passed on whenever the current title holder loses in competition play (Friendlies don't count). I will track how many games each team starts with the MacGuffin in order to determine the true best team in SSL history (because everyone knows the MacGuffin points are the true measure of greatness).

You can see previous entries in this series here:
S1-2
S3
S4
S5
S6

With the introductions out of the way, let's take a look at where we left off last time!

All Time Standings:
1) Sydney City  Reykjavik United - 20
2) Tokyo S.C.  - 13
3) Hollywood FC  - 12
4) CF Catalunya  - 11
T-5) Cairo City  - 10
T-5) Seoul MFC  - 10
7) Inter London  - 9
8) Athenai F.C.  - 8
9) Montreal United  - 7
10) CA Buenos Aires  - 3
T-11) Adowa Accra FC  - 2
T-11) AS Paris  - 2
T-11) F.C. Kaapstad  - 2
14) Uniao Sao Paulo  - 0

After a strong season for minors teams to catch up, the MacGuffin returns to the majors going into S7. It's not impossible for the title to return to the minors, but I don't know how likely that is to happen. Speaking of returning to the minors, all time points leader Sydney City dropped off and rebranded to the Reykjavik United. They have a sizable cushion to rebuild with, but they'll have their work cut out for them if they want to hold onto their MacGuffin title long term. They'll be joined by newcomers Red Star Laos and A.C. Romana in the minors. The league has seen some major shakeups going into S7, but will it be enough to dethrone the now Reykjavik United? Let's dive in and find out!

---

S7
Season Start: Inter London  
Total Games Held: 3
Next Loss: 1-4 v Athenai F.C.

New Title Holder: Athenai F.C.
Total Games Held: 2
Next Loss: 0-3 v Hollywood FC

New Title Holder: Hollywood FC
Total Games Held: 8
Next Loss: 0-4 v Tokyo S.C.

New Title Holder: Tokyo S.C.
Total Games Held: 8
Next Loss: N/A

End of Season

Season Standings:
T-1) Hollywood FC  - 8
T-1) Tokyo S.C.  - 8
3) Inter London  - 3
4) Athenai F.C.  - 2

The MacGuffin only exchanged hands 3 times in the most concentrated season in the league's (admittedly short) history. Inter London and Athenai F.C. showed solid starts before Hollywood took the title and went on a tear. Tokyo then wrested the MacGuffin away and ran the table the rest of the season. There were a lot more tie games this season than most, but the MacGuffin only changes hands on a loss. So yeah, these win streaks might be "weaker" than previous versions, but it's impressive nevertheless that we had two separate teams go 8 straight games without a loss.

All Time Standings:
1) Tokyo S.C.  - 21 +1
T-2) Reykjavik United  - 20 -1
T-2) Hollywood FC  - 20 +1
4) Inter London  - 12 +3
5) CF Catalunya  - 11 -1
T-6) Cairo City  - 10 -1
T-6) Seoul MFC  - 10 -1
T-6) Athenai F.C.  - 10 +2
9) Montreal United  - 7
10) CA Buenos Aires  - 3
T-11) Adowa Accra FC  - 2
T-11) AS Paris  - 2
T-11) F.C. Kaapstad  - 2
T-14) Uniao Sao Paulo  - 0
T-14) A.C. Romana  - 0 New
T-14) Red Star Laos  - 0 New

Well that was fast. Sydney City drops to the minors, rebrands itself as Reykjavik United, and immediately gets knocked off their perch as the MacGuffin king. Tokyo's and Hollywood's stellar seasons allowed both of them to instantly close the gap, with Hollywood tying Reykjavik while Tokyo took the lead. Reykjavik still has a long way to fall to entirely drop out of the lead group, but being stuck in the minors is not going to do them any favors. Meanwhile, we've got Inter London floating to the top of the middle pack while Athenai F.C. continues their steady march that they've been on basically since the league's inception. Seriously, they show up for 2 or 3 wins every season, never really dominant but always involved. The consistency is impressive, even if the end results aren't.